First Five Years
Mount VernonThe Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington First Five Years
Discover all that the Library has accomplished in its first five years.
Explore the Timeline2013
Grand Opening
Opening Ceremony of the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington
First Fellows
Inaugural class of Research Fellows and Life Guard Teacher Fellows
2014
Ford Evening Book Talk
Launched the Ford Evening Book Talk, a free, monthly public program that spotlights authors and their new books
George Washington Digital Encyclopedia
George Washington Digital Encyclopedia hits one million users (launched October 2012)
Residential Program
Welcomed nearly 80 teachers to the George Washington Teacher Institute Residential Program now operating out of the Library (launched 1999)
The Papers of George Washington
Hired the first Mount Vernon based editor of The Papers of George Washington
Founding Debates
Launched the Founding Debates, an event where authors, public figures, and historians discuss interpretations of a question of national import.
MVLA Archive
The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association Archive centralized at the Library
Research Inquiries
Library staff responded to 1,130 research inquiries
Research by Fellows
4,400 hours of research conducted at the Library by fellows
Lectures
Hosted 68 scholarly lectures
Teacher Institute
812 teachers participated in 398.5 hours of face-to-face programming with the education staff at the Library and with partners around the country
Digital Collections from the Washington Library
Launched the Digital Collections from the Washington Library
Potomack Navigation Company Archive
Acquired the Potomack Navigation Company Archive
2015
The General in the Garden
Partnered with the University of Virginia Press on a new publication, The General in the Garden, the first released under the Library’s imprimatur
Leadership Fellows
The first class of Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows arrived at Mount Vernon
Lectures and Symposiums
Hosted 62 lectures and symposiums for scholars, students, and supporters
2016
Digital Encyclopedia
George Washington Digital Encyclopedia hit five million users
Conversations at the Washington Library
Conversations at the Washington Library podcast launched
Teacher Institute
George Washington Teacher Institute Residential Program went national
Lives Bound Together
Lives Bound Together exhibition opened and the Library published a companion book and hosted a symposium on slavery
Georgian Papers Porgramme
Established the Library’s first international partnership with King’s College in London in support of the Georgian Papers Porgramme
George and Martha Ephemera Collection
Acquired the George and Martha Ephemera Collection
Monographs
Acquired 1,100 new monographs
Educational Programming
Provided 485 hours of educational programming to 496 educators on-site and more than 1,500 through professional development sessions
Students
1,589 students participated in off-site student programs
Programs
Welcomed 5,874 guests at 34 public and academic programs
2017
Tours
Provided 336 Library tours to 4,314 guests
Researchers
Assisted 4,498 researchers
Public Events
Welcomed 6,471 guests to Library public events
Washington's Letters
Acquired 16 printings of Washington’s letters to religious congregations
George Washington Digital Encyclopedia
2,666,850 visitors to the George Washington Digital Encyclopedia
Teacher Institute
158 teachers attended the eight George Washington Teacher Institute Residential Program sessions
Lesson Plans and Primary Sources
Educators downloaded 16,391 lesson plans and primary sources
Distance Learning
715 students participated in the Library’s distance learning programs
2018
George Washington Digital Encyclopedia
George Washington Digital Encyclopedia hit ten million users
Friends and Enemies
George Washington Friends and Enemies project launches
Dr. Kevin Butterfield
Dr. Kevin Butterfield began serving as the executive director of The Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington
Archivist
MVLA hired its first certified Archivist to curate archival collections
Tours
Led almost 5,000 tours of the Library for 19,200 people
First Five
Washington Letters
Acquired 25 George Washington letters
Washington's Books
Acquired six books found in George Washington’s personal library
Digital Collections
Over 10,000 digital assets found in the "Digital Collections from the Washington Library"
Researchers
Assisted 12,500 researchers from all 50 states and over 20 countries
Bibliographic Records
The Library’s collection has over 28,500 records, approximately 1,100 linear feet of files, and more than 20 finding aids
George Washington Digital Encyclopedia
10,400,000 lifetime users of the George Washington Digital Encyclopedia
Conversations at the Washington Library
67 episodes of Conversations at the Washington Library with 60,000 listeners